The Border and Beyond: The National Security Implications of Migration, Refugees, and Asylum under US and International Law

February 28, 2017 | Georgetown Law

Panelists will engage in debate on various constitutional issues, such as the separation of powers and the protection of civil liberties, in the context of recent events in the US in which both migration and national security have been implicated.

Moderator: William Banks, Director, Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, Syracuse University

Panelists:

Jen Daskal, Professor of Criminal, National Security, and Constitutional Law, American University Washington College of Law; former Assistant Attorney General for National Security, US Department of Justice

Lucas Guttentag, Professor of the Practice of Law at Stanford Law School; Founder and former National Director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project

Marty Lederman, Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University Law Center; former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice’s Office Legal Counsel

Panel 2: The US Refugee and Asylum Legal Regime (10:35 AM – 12:00 PM)

Panelists will explore the current status of US asylum and refugee laws and how the screening processes factor into national concerns. The panel also will discuss the Trump Administration’s recent executive orders relating to border security and refugee policy in the US.

Panel 3: Migration and Security Threats Abroad (1:15 PM – 2:40 PM)

Panelists will discuss the security implications of the refugee crisis in Europe and the potential legal obligations that the US might have under international law to assist its allies in handling the situation.

Moderator: David Stewart, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center

Panelists:

Bec Hamilton, Professor of National Security, International, and Criminal Law, American University Washington College of Law

Karin Johnston, Professor of International Politics, American University School of International Service

A. Trevor Thrall, Senior Fellow, Defense and Foreign Policy Department, Cato Institute; Associate Professor, George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government